Bishop of Rochester under police protection after receiving 'death threats' for saying Britain has no-go areas for non-Muslims

Saturday 2 February 2008 11:37 BST

Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, has sparked controversy with his comments about no-go areas for non-Muslims

The Bishop of Rochester is under police protection after receiving death threats following his claims that parts of Britain are 'no-go areas' for non-Muslims.

The Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali accused Islamic extremists of making it harder for those who are not Muslims to live or work in some areas of the country.

He also blamed the "multi-faith mish-mash" promoted by the Government for undermining the influence of Christianity.

His comments earlier this month infuriated Islamic groups, who accused him of whipping up hatred against Muslims.

While away in India, Dr Nazir-Ali's staff took a number of calls at his Rochester home threatening both him and his family, warning that the bishop would not "live long" if he continued to criticise Islam, according to The Times.

Kent Police said they are taking the threats "seriously" and have given the bishop an emergency number and other protection.

Speaking to The Times, Dr Nazir-Ali, who is Britain's only Asian bishop, said: "The irony is that I had similar threats when I was a bishop in Pakistan, but I never thought I would have them here.

"My point in saying what I did was that Britain had lost its Christian vision, which would have provided the resources to offer hospitality to others."

This absence of a Christian vision had led to multiculturalism in Britain claimed the bishop.

He added: "Everyone agrees that multiculturalism has had disastrous consequences, and that segregation and extremism have arisen from this."

Following his comment, the bishop says he has received overwhelming support.

He said: "I have had 1,000 letters, and 95 per cent have been supportive. There is no point in being in denial. We have to face the consequences."

Speaking earlier this week, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said Christian Muslim relations in Britain are currently in a "very good place".

Asked if Dr Nazir-Ali's comments on no-go areas were helpful, he said his statement "gives a very unfortunate impression".

He added: "I think because it was taken in a very, very negative sense it had a difficult impact in lots of urban settings."